Melbourne - Italian number 109 Filippo Volandri will miss the Australian Open after being slapped with a ban for using an asthma medicine containing a proscribed stimulant to excess.
The sanction handed down by the International Tennis Federation means that a new name will be inserted into the draw for the Open starting on Monday to face Mario Ancic, Volandri's original first- round opponent.
Sydney - Olympic champion Elena Dementieva won her second WTA title in as many weeks with a defeat of Dinara Safina 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 at the Medibank International on Friday.
The Russian managed to edge past her compatriot, who was playing a second final in eight days after the Hopman Cup a week ago in Perth.
Dementieva has dropped just one set this week after also claiming the trophy in Auckland. She ended last season with a title in Luxembourg.
Melbourne, Jan 16 : American socialite Paris Hilton has lost her camera containing hundreds of personal photographs taken during her visit to Australia.
Hilton, 27, lost the camera while at the Bongo Virus party at Trademark nightclub in Sydney on New Year''s Eve.
"She lost it in the chaos. It must have fallen out of her bag," the Daily Telegraph quoted Bongo Virus publicist Karen Griffin, as saying.
"She is disappointed as it has her personal photos of her visit on it.
Sydney, Jan. 16 : Swiss tennis star Roger Federer believes achieving tennis''s holy grail, the calendar grand slam is possible as playing surfaces in the modern era have become less distinct.
The calendar grand slam includes winning the four majors, the Australian Open, Wimbledon, the French Open and the US Open in one year, a feat achieved by Australian great Rod Laver 40 years ago. Few will recall that Laver also won the all grand slams in one year in the non-open era.
Sydney - An HIV-positive Australian who hosted parties where he deliberately had unprotected sex to infect his gay partners was Friday given an 18-year jail sentence by a Melbourne court.
Michael Neal, 50, was told of his HIV status when he was diagnosed in 2000 but went on to organize what he called "conversion parties" where some guests were not aware they were being infected.
He bragged about infecting 75 people and told one victim he "got off" on it.
The court was told he had a genital piercing to make it easier to pass on the virus.
"You sought to be your own version of the Grim Reaper," Judge David Parsons said.
Sydney - An SAS soldier who braved enemy machine-gun fire to save an Afghan interpreter shot in a Taliban ambush has become the first Australian in 40 years to win the Victoria Cross.
Mark Donaldson ran 80 metres under enemy fire to grab the interpreter and carry him to safety during a clash in Uruzgan province in September.
Nine Australian soldiers were wounded in the ambush, the highest in one incident since the Vietnam War.
In a ceremony in Canberra, Donaldson was presented with the Victoria Cross for Australia, which superseded the British or Imperial Victoria Cross in 1991.
Only three other VCs have been awarded worldwide in the past 27 years.
Melbourne - Italian number 109 Filippo Volandri will miss the Australian Open after being slapped with a ban for using an asthma medicine containing a proscribed stimulant to excess.
Sydney - Olympic champion Elena Dementieva won her second WTA title in as many weeks with a defeat of Dinara Safina 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 at the Medibank International on Friday.
Melbourne, Jan 16 : American socialite Paris Hilton has lost her camera containing hundreds of personal photographs taken during her visit to Australia.
Sydney, Jan. 16 : Swiss tennis star Roger Federer believes achieving tennis''s holy grail, the calendar grand slam is possible as playing surfaces in the modern era have become less distinct.
